ISTANBUL (DIHA) - Kardes Türküler, a musical group that has succeeded in creating their special manner of playing the instruments and performing songs of different cultures in a way peculiar only to the band, in their last albume "Bahar [Spring]"...
They have taken what the common attributions of peoples in Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Thrace are with the songs in Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic, Circassian, Arabic and Georgian as well as those of Gipsy culture and by giving place to the masters of Turkish Folk Music Neşet Ertaş, Aynur Doğan and Erkan Oğur.
In order to draw attention to how enormous results a probable dam that will be built up over Muncur Brook will appear and they will give way to the environmental and social tissue of the region, Kardes Türküler [Brother Songs] have added a song to the release, along with the sounds and tastes of dissimilar cultures. Kardes Türküler's members, who are to utter the re-birth with "Bahar" answered DIHA's questions on their new release and works.
*In a unique and unfamiliar format, you were presenting a mixture of traditional sounds in the past to your fans. What kind of performance are you applying in the last album "Bahar"? What are the similarities and differences between "Bahar" and previous albums?
Selda Öztürk: Our late album "Bahar" will have been released at the beginning of next week and will be the fourth release. In regard to musical sound, there will be similarities save 3 or 4 songs. We arranged these3-4 songs with electronic sounds. Our presentation form tries to mirror multicultural aspects, that form is included in "Bahar", too. A Circassion song to be vocalized in this album for the first time; we have tried such a humble performance once. The album covers Kurdish, Armenian, Turkish, Arabic and Gipsy songs.
Ülker Uncu: Aside from two compositions, the album will predominantly be traditional. Connected to the leading concept of oncoming release, spring motives will be included in "Bahar"; yet, all of the melodies - of courcse- do not focus on Spring. There is a tune called "Newroz", an Armenian folk song "Hampartzum", "Munzur" besides "Gülsüm", a woman melody we have composed by being inspired by Teke district of the Mediterranean region, where women usually work and perform. As women in Kardeş Türküler, we have used woman-theme songs on March 8s; so, we wanted to continue with the same in our last album, too.
*Is "Munzur" in Zazaki?
Miss. Öztürk: Yes, It is in Zazaki. You know a dam is thought to be built over the Munzur Brook and the natural of Munzur will be under the risk to be destroyed if the barrage has been constructed. We have said in our composition "Munzur" that "May Munzur is not a lake/combine with Fırat, flow"
* Can we say it is the first time you have perform a composition including politic messages?
Mr. Uncu: Even though we have not had any concepts in our performances that directly involve political messages; we regard it chanting these songs as a political attitude. There are some parts, words and themes added mixed with traditional melodies and those in which we revealed our political politic expressions. That is to say, it is not the first to be chanted in the sense of being politic; however, in the environmental sense of the word we have made it clear that we should lay stress on Munzur. The song does not put forward a rough slogan like " We do not want the dam", but rather, works up a dream with traditional forms again.
Öztürk: There was "Kerwanê" once upon a time, when people were emigrating densely. That song has such a realiton to intensive migration of the past as "Munzur" to the natural beauties of the region.
*You have pointed out there non-traditional songs, too. Have you composed thesemelodies on your own or got them from some one else?
Unlu: Kardeş Türküler's Vedat Yildirim composed the songs and some parts of the song "Gülsüm" were improvised by women. Again Kardeş Türküler's Neriman Güneş wrote down some parts; so we established the elements composed and inspired with the soul of lyrics into those included in "Bahar". We used the same method in our former released too, but I can say that we have improved in achieving the results of such a unique arrangement. There is resembling advance regarding the members of Kardeş Türküler.
*Which lyrics are Kurdish? Where or from whom have got them?
Öztürk: "Newroz" and "Munzur" are Kurdish lyrics with "Ez Kevokim", vocalized by a number of singers, will be performed by Aynur Doğan. There will also be "Kela Memê" arranged by Seyda Goyan of the Goyan tribe from Uludere, Şırnak. We had used this lyric in last year's "Eyhok" release. Namely, there will be traditional lyrics composed, arranged and put into a new format by Kardeş Türküler.
*It is known well that you prepare your albums within the framework of a concept. What is the concept of "Bahar [spring]" and how did you determine it?
Unlu: Spring allways expresses hope and rebirth for Anatolian peoples no matter even if it is celebrated by some cultures in April by some othere in May under different names such as "Newroz", "Nevruz", "Navroz", "Hampartzum", "Hidrellez" and "Rozelya Günü" and Spring means to be re-birth, new hope, new day and year for every one in Anatolia. That is how set out for our route and why we wanted to utter, along with all peoples in Anatolia, our hope for the days celebrated jointly by the Anatolian man. Then, we did research on lyrics about spring with musicians, dancers, actors and actresses under the umbrella of Boğaziçi Show Arts Group (BGST). Compositions, too, were formed with their help; so we stared readings on Newroz and Hidirellez. All of the lyrics were chosen after this research.
*You have said would arrange two lyrics in a way diffirent from your former performances? Do this 2 differ from the previous ones with their musical structures, because you execute the songs with Eastern sounds in general? Have you tried the Western form this time?
Öztürk: It is hard to describe as eastern-western, it is necessary for you to listen to the album for inferring what is "Bahar" like. Improvised compositions like "Munzur" and "Newroz" were used in the release, accompanied with the electro-guitar and the drums. With the percussion; the drums were given place for the first time. For the percussion have a predominant place in our performance, we tried to make the sound of the drums mix with it.
Unlu: It would not be right to say 'we used an entirely electronic sound, for we used them in a way to be harmonized with traditional music. Despite this, there is no a whole dominance of drums in "Bahar". That is how they will be the lyrics different from our former compositions.
*You released a joint album with Şiwan Perwer. Are you thinking to enage in a similar projet? Are you open to such proposals or intending to submit such a common proposal for cooperating with a master singer? Who would be the person you would like to work with him or her?
Öztürk: We are aiming to work with Aynur Doğan, who has performed a song in the album and with whom we worked in an open-air concert last year. She had chanted 3 songs there and will take the stager with us this year, too. Of course, there may be other singers. To illustrate, We played and performed along with Neşet Ertaş his "Bahçe Duvarından Aştım", so did we the same with Erkan Oğur.
*You have recently come on the agenda with music you did for the films "Vizontele", "Vizontele Tuba" and "Kingdom of Heaven" by Ridley Scott. Can you talk about this a little?
Öztürk: Kalan Production sends all the singers' and bands' albums to foreign production companies to introduce them to the world, so our album was sent, too. Kingdom of Heaven's supervisor listened to "Suleymano" composed pre-dominantly with drums and vocals included in the "Hemavaz" album 2002 and liked it, and then got into contact with us; so flied to London, preparing and obtaining knowledge on the film. After we have watched Kingdom of Heaven, we adapted music for the atmosphere of the movie's theme. For a scene reflecting a women with her infant, we did a lullaby, as did we for another war scene including dead people and screening every where in blood. We did adapt another composition for this scene in vocal formats. After we returned here [Turkey], we have watched the final state of the film with music we adapted. Kingdom of Heaven has changed a lot. Two of lyrics had been used in the soundtrack of the film, but less in the film.
28.05.2005
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